


Silent Wolf

by SilentCatcher



Category: Silent Hill, Silent Hill (Video Game Series), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon - Video Game, Claudia Stilinski Memories, Claudia Stilinski's Background, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Fear, Ghost Claudia Stilinski, Ghost Laura Hale, Hale Family Feels, Horror, Hurt Derek, Hurt Stiles, Laura Hale Feels, M/M, Minor Character Death, Monsters, Near Death Experiences, Psychological Horror, Psychological Trauma, Psychology, Religious Fanaticism, Silent Hill 2, Stilinski Family Feels, Terminal Illnesses, Thriller, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2017-12-21 22:28:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentCatcher/pseuds/SilentCatcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No, please. Not this. Not again. Stiles held his ears and looked to the ground, avoiding her face. His heart cracked open a fraction, hearing these words again. It was too reminiscent.<br/>“Please… stop…” Stiles bellowed in suffering, still holding his ears but peeking at her for a glimpse of a second.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In here is a tragedy----

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for opening my story! This is my first uploaded fanfiction. I might not be a native English speaker, but I study American Studies and I am also extremely ambitioned when it comes to the English language. I cherish and love it to bits. So I hope you'll enjoy reading my story! 
> 
> You DON'T NEED TO KNOW the Silent Hill story, in order to understand the plot of this story. I included allusions, or let's say, a few Easter eggs for those who know the Silent Hill games :) For everyone else, this will be a bizarre psychological thriller that you can enjoy without knowing anything about the video games or the movies. That said, please, enjoy the first chapter of my story and feel free to provide me with comments and further suggestions. I'm all open for it.

_"The scars from the past shall_

_remove the nail that stops Time."_

-         _Silent Hill 2 Memo_

* * *

“This place feels wrong. It smells weird.” Derek scowled towards Stiles.  
“Oh shut up, there is nothing wrong with it! Look, it’s so peaceful!” Stiles waved around with a hand while steering the wheel of his blue shabby jeep.  
“Who told you about this town?”  
“Laura Sunderland.”

Derek’s face darkened at the mentioning of that name. Stiles realized too late that she shared the name of Derek’s dead sister. He regretted not having used a cover up name like… Kathrin or Annabelle, but Derek would have found out eventually and then Stiles would have to come up with an evident explanation for why he lied to him and with that confess that he doubted his intellect… which would have scratched on Derek’s alpha pride and in the end cause a lot, lot, lot more damage than saying outright Laura’s name had.

“Never heard of her before…” He said in a lower voice as he observed the pine trees they were just driving by.

Stiles immediately felt responsible for whatever images were running through Derek's mind.

“Well that’s because she just recently moved to Beacon Hills with her Dad. I was chosen to show her around school and make her feel welcome. She was so cheeky at first. I don’t know, she had this weird undertone, you know, like she’s insulting you without actually doing it. The word _brat_ comes to my mind. Anyways, after a while we got along pretty well and I asked her where she’s from and she told me that she moved around a lot with her dad – like, a _lot_ – so she has a hard time considering any place her ‘home’—” He took his hands off the steering wheel to make air-quotes; “—but whenever someone asked her that question she would answer with _Silent Hill_ , because that’s where she met her dad—oh yes, I forgot to mention, she was adopted, so, the _dad_ I was referring to all the time is not her real dad—”  
Stiles checked Derek’s face for his attention which was confirmed by his perking eyebrows.   
“—AND that’s when I found out about Silent Hill. You know, it’s rumored that this town uncovers your true self - like that whole 'finding yourself' stuff.  
“I think it sounds awesome and we could really use some _release_ after everything we’ve been through with the Kanima and the whole crazy Argent-family crisis—AND let’s not forget the sudden disappearance of Erica and Boyd!”

Stiles Stilinski for you: a man of _many_ words.

His eyes darted between the street and Derek, whose eyes were still glued to the window.

“I guess.”

Derek Hale for you: a man of _few_ words.

Stiles drove along a road that led towards Sandford Street, which was the street of the hotel he’d found advertised on the internet. While following the road, he took selective glimpses of the gigantic and faintly foggy lake that was right next to them. It also caught Derek’s attention.

“Woooooow!” Stiles could barely stifle his amazement.  
“Look at this, it’s beautiful, isn’t it?!” He punched Derek’s shoulder, who responded with a groan of discomfort.  
“Come one, could you at least act like you like it? It’s really easy, you just raise the corner of your mouth, like so” Stiles smiled all goofy at Derek in the hope that it would raise his mood at least a little.  

Derek quirked an eyebrow at him.  
“I forgot; your eyebrows do the smiling for you.”

Stiles directed his focus to the road in disappointment when Derek started complaining.  
“So, why the hell is it only you and me again?” Derek inquired. “Where is Scott? He’s your best friend, he’s the one supposed to be following you nonstop.”  
Stiles felt a rapidly tightening grip in his stomach.  
“You don’t want to go on vacation with me?”  
This irritated Derek a little.  
“That’s not what I said! I’m with you now, aren’t I?”

Stiles shot a relieved look at Derek who instantly went back to watching the scenery as the heat of embarrassment rose to his face.

God, he knew that Stiles wouldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day, maybe even the week, but it was sort of okay with him, better than Stiles’ overly dramatic bad mood.

“Scott’s with Allison on vacation and they prefer being alone, I'm sure that doesn’t require further explanation… Besides, they weren’t really fond of my idea of visiting a small town, they'd rather go to a big and noisy city.”  
“And you prefer some soul searching in a remote small town called ‘ _Silent_ Hill’? I don’t believe you - I can practically smell the lie excreting from your body.”

Stiles made a disgusted face and tried to sweep the mental picture off his mind. He parked on the side of the road and faced Derek whose sharp facial features were, even though he seemed pissed, still very easy on the eyes. No, actually, it made him look essentially better. His frown enhanced his features a lot. And his bright grey… no green, or is it a mix of grey and green? Maybe even a little amber… well, his fascinating green/grey/amber eyes virtually pierce through your body and take over your mind using it as his defenseless se—  
“Stiles!” Derek barked.

Woops, Stiles startled. He shook his head; it took him a few seconds to realize that he’d been starring at Derek for almost a minute.

“Erm, I-I-I don’t, I mean—what?”  
“Why are you lying to me? What are you hiding?”  
“Well, erm, I’m not hiding anything! I’m not lying.”

Derek pulled his eyebrows down into a frown.  
“O-kay, then get ready, cause this'll be a mouthful.” He chuckled inside. Mouthful. Ha.

Stiles stretched his arms and fingers, made himself comfortable in his seat and took a deep breath as if he was about to plunge into a pool.

“I was originally looking for a nice and quiet place to get some real rest, but then I met Sunderland, and she told me about Silent Hill. I did a little research on its history. I found a website called ‘double u - double u - double u - visit silent hill dot com’”  
“You just couldn’t skip the ‘double u’, could you?” Derek quipped.  
“Nope” Stiles clenched his jaw shyly.  
“Go on.”

Stiles cleared his throat and continued with restored enthusiasm.

“Erm, so, I found this website and it was crammed with amazing information, like, the complete history of this town from the days before the 16th century when the British started colonizing North America until today. Did you know, the first settlers of Silent Hill came in the late 1600s and since the beginning numerous strange occurrences happened in this town. It all started in the early 1700s when a bizarre epidemic breakout killed hundreds and hundreds of people. Around 1810 the town was resettled as a penal colony, like, for prisoners, they imprisoned many people here, probably from war… This town found to its old glory around 1850 when coal fields were discovered that lead to the revitalization of the town.”

Stiles words cascaded out of his mouth. Derek sat there, mouth gaping and full disbelieve for what just happened. Or no, actually, he believed it, for he has known Stiles to be an encyclopedia on legs since the day they had met.

“S-sorry…” Stiles looked down apologetically. Derek stifled a chuckle.  
“Impressive that you know all that...”

Stiles was all starry-eyed and had a goofy smile covering his whole face again. Derek suppressed a smile and focused on the topic at hand.

“Judging by your stupid grin, there is more…”  
“E-xactly!” Stiles elongated the first syllable and continued his history crash course.  
“At the end of the 19th century, people started disappearing all over town. Until today no one knows exactly what caused the disappearances. There are many theories though, like alien abduction and even a lake monster! But my favorite is this one: _Native American ghosts_!”

It was impossible to overlook how much Stile’s enjoyed jabbering about myths and legends and having someone listening to him.

Derek heaved a sigh.

“I’m certain that I’ll regret asking but… Indian ghosts?”  
“YES! Okay, by the way, you’re not supposed to say Indian, evil people say Indian, but you’re not evil, right? You certainly wish you were, you little sourwolf, but you’re not!” Stiles said with pouted lips.  
“Shut up.” Derek snapped. And he was scowling. Again. As always.  
“SO, urban legend has it that, back then before the 16th century, this place was a sacred place for ‘NATIVE AMERICANS’ in which they conducted rituals. It was revered as the ‘Place of Silenced Spirits’ and alleged to possess mysterious powers...”

Stiles started biting his bottom lip.

”When the settlers emerged, the Natives had to abandon this place. It is said that they placed a—“Stiles paused to think of an appropriate word, “curse… on this town for driving them out and tainting their holy land.”

Stiles kept biting his lip; it appeared to Derek that he took it a bit too seriously.

“People allege that this is the reason for the disappearances, as if this town was haunted with vengeance driven ghosts.”  
Derek could sense a hint of fear in Stile's voice. “Stiles, if you’re scared, we don’t have to go there” Derek looked Stiles in the eyes.  
Stiles laughed out loud and shook his head.  
“COME ON! Derek, I’m the one dragging you in here, besides, since when are you concerned about me?” That caught Derek off-guard.  
“Good thing I have a big bad werewolf to protect me!” Stiles said all smug.  
“So, are you with me or not?! We’re almost there, look, right over there is our hotel”

Stiles directed Derek’s view towards a gigantic mansion-like house, walls white with a dark red roof.

“Hm, looks sketchy to me.”  
“No it doesn’t!” Stiles responded. “It’s just a little foggy”, he said somewhat fondly, "that’s all... I bet it’s the weather, we’re right next to the lake, so fog is nothing extraordinary here.”  
“Shut up, I know you wish it was haunted... But alright, I doubt I can sit another minute in this crappy car”  
“Hey! Don’t insult my jeep!” Stiles caressed his wheel.  
“He doesn’t mean it…”  
“Are you talking to your car?”  
“My jeep’s a lot nicer than you are!”   
“Drive!”  
“Yeah, yeah…”

Stiles sighed and started his wheels.

<x><x><x><x>

**S** tiles parked just a few meters away from the hotel; it didn’t take them very long to leave the jeep since both of them were quite anxious to finally get a closer look at the town and especially this puppet house of a hotel.

Apart from its strangely artificial appearance, the hotel was outstandingly beautiful. Its architecture was definitely old, maybe constructed in the beginning of the 20th century. A closer look revealed that it had just recently been renovated, the white color was flawless and so was the entrance of the building. The entrance had tiny gold details contrasting against the dark wood along with a large gold handle. In front of the hotel’s entrance was a big sign that said:

‘Toluca Lakeview Hotel – Your one and only special place’.

“You see that Derek, ‘one and only special place’!                                                    

If that’s not inviting I don’t know what is.”

He smiled all self-satisfied to Derek, who tried to ignore him.

“Would you just go in?” Derek steered Stiles towards the entrance. “Someone’s impatient.” Stiles replied as he opened the door. He walked in slowly with Derek right behind him.

As they entered the spacious lobby, they absorbed every little detail of its decoration, having only the sun streaming in through the opened door as light source. The walls were graced with rose patterned wallpaper and the floor was covered with a complementary dark red carpet with a flower pattern. All lights were turned off and only a few candles were burning, judging by the wax stains on the carpet, a few of them had been burning for quite a while.

In the middle of the lobby was the central staircase that probably extended up to the second floor, Stiles surmised. He wouldn’t be surprised if they had actually entered a portal to a fairy tale world, as the decorations implied to him.

Derek felt a shiver work its way throughout his body. It was hard to grasp whether it was caused by its majestic appearance or the uncomfortable crisp atmosphere.

As they stood in the lobby, a very soft and sweet voice echoed from the left. Apparently that was the receptionist, Stiles figured.

“Over here!”  
“Over there!” Stiles pointed in the direction of the receptionist.  
“I heard her, Stiles.”

A seemingly young lady with black hair waved around, making herself noticeable.

Stiles closed the door, removing the main light source with it. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the hotel‘s rather dark lighting.

Derek had fewer problems adjusting his sight; he was already able to get a good look at the young lady.  Indeed, it was black hair… and it reached to her shoulders. She was dressed in a dark blue cardigan over a knee-long white dress. Her cardigan was adorned with a purple flower...

He clenched his teeth and focused his smelling senses. No, the odor wasn’t penetrating; it was just an ordinary flower.

Derek looked to his right, seeing… nothing, Stiles was already at the reception desk and talking to the woman. Why were they laughing? Derek joined them swiftly.

“So that’s him, huh?” The young lady smirked at Derek.  
“Yep, that’s my husband. We’re on our honeymoon.” Stiles propped his arms against the reception with smiling eyes.  
“We’re not together. And this is NOT our honeymoon” Derek growled.

Stiles leaned closer to the lady and whispered in her ear.  
“He’s just shy…”

Derek gave Stiles a slap over his head.

“Could we stop this and get TWO separate rooms… please!”  
“Only if you stop hitting your friend, Mr. Hale.”  
Derek looked at her with wide open eyes. Apparently Stiles mentioned his name.

“Yes! You go girl!” Stiles cheered her on.  
“B-but he?!”

Her eyes intensified.

Derek felt a strangely familiar sensation and spitted a sorry in Stiles’ direction.  
“Sarah, I want to marry you, right now!”

So, Sarah was her name, how did Stiles know that and why were they already on first-name basis? Derek kept wondering until he noticed the name tag on the reception table.

‘Sarah Shepherd’

“Alright, Ms. Shepherd, could we please order two rooms now.”  
Sarah tensed her shoulders. “Please, I already told your boyfriend to call me Sarah, I’m probably just a few years older than you two.”  
Derek ignored the ‘boyfriend’ part and continued his request.

“Okay… Sarah, two rooms, and I’d like to have the quietest one.”  
“And I’ll take the most beautiful one! Oh, yes, with a great view of the lake!”  
Sarah laughed under her breath.

“Don’t worry, we have everything you want. It’s been quite a while since we had guests, so I’ll give you two of our best rooms for the usual price and you certainly don’t have to worry about noise, grumpy cat.”  
“Grumpy cat! Why didn’t I come up with that?” Stiles chirped in amazement.

Derek scowled at both of them. He knew exactly that he couldn’t take the ‘quiet’ part for granted, seeing Sarah teaming up with Stiles.

“Stiles, for you I’d recommend third floor, room 12. It’s our guests’ favorite. Best view to the lake, terrace, king-size bed, one word: special!”  
“Sold!” Stiles waved his wallet fiercely at Sarah’s face.

“And for you, grumpy, I’d say third floor, room 13. Don’t worry, there is a big observation room between you and Lanky over here”, she gestured at Stiles, “so you’re still close but won’t hear each other jacking off.” This time it was Stiles who blushed scarlet at Sarah’s words. He was a little surprised at Sarah's nonchalant attitude, but he sort of enjoyed it. She seemed to feel comfortable around strangers pretty quickly - or maybe it was their radiant charisma that loosened the mood, he thought. He glanced over at Derek who seemed rather stoic. Derek did sometimes express such calmness; it fascinated Stiles every single time.  
“Lanky, huh? I’ll remember that one.” Derek grinned outright at Stiles.

 

 <x><x><x><x>

 

Stiles threw himself on the king-sized bed which belonged to him and only him for the next few days. He felt the alluring softness of the fabric, closed his eyes and recalled the last few days in his mind.

It was still very hard for him to believe that Derek was alright going on vacation with him. Initially, Stiles had asked Scott, even though he already assumed that Scott wouldn’t have time for him. It had been like this for a while now, since Allison came into Scott’s life. But it was alright with him, he had gotten used to sitting on the bench, thanks to Lacrosse. And then there was Derek, he has been quite lonely since Erica and Boyd vanished into thin air, so he pondered for a whole day if he should take the courage to ask Derek. Astute as he was, he first went for Isaac, the humble remains of Derek’s pack, but Isaac had no intention of leaving Beacon Hills and they weren’t really friends anyhow. Isaac did however suggest taking Derek in his place. He even offered to ask Derek for him out of sheer pity. But Stiles refused, it was enough to know that none of his friends felt obligated to go with him. Of course, he skipped asking Lydia, she was probably all over Jackson by now and he preferred avoiding awkward situations. Not even his dad was there for him, but he couldn’t really blame him for that, he was still all occupied with taking prank calls and clearing the streets of alcohol addicts. So, after checking for every other option, he went straight to Derek. He justified the decision to ask him by mentioning that no one else had time and that Derek was the only one left to ask and he also told Derek he would prefer a weekend with him than another day succumbing to boredom.

And he said yes.

Stiles had trouble trusting his ears, Derek Hale actually said yes to a weekend with him alone in some small town. He tried to hide it from Derek, but he was really relieved and strangely thankful that he had such unreliable friends.

Stiles opened his eyes again. He smiled and scrutinized his room.  The walls had greenish wallpapers with strange flower patterns, again. The floor was made of a brownish carpet. And, oh no, come on, even the white curtains had pinkish flower patterns, exactly like his blanket and even his pillows. And, yup, the couch had the same pattern as well. The interior decorator must love flowers, right? Stiles moved to the huge windows and contemplated the monstrous lake. Next to him stood a very old television, like one of those that you only get to see in a shop for antiques or in old movies. At least it had a cassette recorder. Wait, a video cassette recorder?! Oh wow, if he had known that beforehand, he would have taken his dad’s old _Star Wars_ VHS-collection instead of his _Donnie Darko_ DVD with him. Doesn’t matter; it’s not like he hasn’t seen it over a hundred times by now and, well; he was still planning on discovering Silent Hill’s hidden secrets.  

The door knocked.

“It’s open!” Stiles invited in.  
“Hey…” It was Derek.  
“Hey!” Stiles smiled.  
“So, do you like your room?” Derek looked around, reluctant to enter Stiles’ room.  
“Yeah, I guess, could be worse. I mean, FLOWERS?!”  
Derek grinned. “Yeah, mine too…”  
“So, do you wanna’ go somewhere? I mean, we’ve been in our rooms for a while now and I thought we could look around, we still have, like, a whole town to discover, right?” Stiles rubbed his arms.  
“Yeah, that’s why I knocked.” Derek turned around and left.  
“You coming?” Derek called and Stiles didn’t hesitate to jump after him.

 

<x><x><x><x>

 

“Ugh, shit, of all the things, it had to be a fucking boat.” Stiles moaned, rubbing his head with both hands.  
“She said it’d be the fastest way to town.”  
“You mean the fastest way to death…” Stiles was rubbing his arms now.  
“Why don’t we take my jeep? It’d be a lot safer.”  
“You do know that more people die in car accidents than in a sinking rowboat?” Derek shook his head in disbelieve.  
“That’s just because there are billion more cars than rowboats, smartass!”

Derek balled his fists, lowered his gaze, hiding his eyes.  Stiles felt the air shaking. Derek raised his head again, revealing red eyes.

“Get… in… the boat…”  
“OH MY GOD!” Stiles wailed like a five year old, as he threw his arms up mumbling crude names under his breath.  
“I hope you’re aware of the fact that leadership that depends on fear never prevails?! Just look at Hitler” He joined Derek in the rowboat.  
“And you’ll do all the rowing!”

That was fine by Derek; he really wanted to use the rowboat since he never had the chance to row one. If he had just asked nicely, Stiles would have probably agreed to it, but that wasn’t Derek’s style.

While Derek rowed like a pro, Stiles tested the water by dunking his forefinger swiftly into the water.

“Cold!” Stiles exclaimed.

He glanced a few times over at Derek, who wasn’t wearing his black leather jacket anymore, sitting there with only a white wife-beater on that showed off his muscles. Stiles ogled at Derek’s very prominent biceps, raking his teeth across his lower lip subconsciously. Derek kept rowing and breathed in a steady rhythm.

Stiles ignored the strange feeling bubbling up, trying to concentrate.

“You know, it actually is quite beautiful, if not romantic with you… and me… on a boat… alone.” Derek steered his eyes over to Stiles and kept rowing.  
“Just kidding.” Stiles shook it off.

It was still foggy but it didn’t disturb one’s view that much. Stiles noticed the town’s silhouette in the horizon. They had almost arrived.

“Do you have an actual plan on where to go to, Stiles?” Derek remembered how to talk again.  
“Not really, but I grabbed a tourist-brochure at the hotel, so we have at least a few sightseeing possibilities on our hands. You have anything specific you’d like to see?”  
“No, that’s why I’m asking you.”  
“I mean, do you like art? Oh god, I have absolutely no idea what you like or dislike—no wait, scratch the second one—that terrifies me a little... Anyways, Derek, tell me a about your merits; what do you like?”  
“Don’t know… Not much.”  
“COME ON; tell me something, look we have…” Stiles opened the brochure and devoured it with his eyes. “We have a few restaurants, cafés, a bowling alley, a water park… no, I read it wrong; it is an ordinary park -- Rosewater Park…” He smiled, teeth showing to Derek, who perked an eyebrow at him.  
“…and we have a historical museum, and OH MY GOD, an amusement park!”  
Stiles almost fell out of the boat due to his excitement.  
“Derek, we definitely have to check this one out, but not now, it’s virtually next our hotel, I don’t know how I could miss it, but yeah, I don’t want to row all the way back now, so we’ll go there first thing tomorrow.”

Derek wiped the gathering drops of sweat off his forehead and glared at Stiles.

“Yeah, okay, I don’t want YOU to row all the way back.” Stiles uttered, eyes rolling.  
“Any idea now?” Stiles tilted his head to the side like a questioning dog.  
“I guess the museum seems nice.”  
“Wait a second, you like art?!”  
“Yes, Stiles, I like art.”

His eyebrows frowned again… Stiles wondered if it was possible to be sexually attracted to eyebrows.

“Awesome, museum it is. We can actually go on shore right in front of it; you’ll see it once we’re there.”

Derek wasn’t the most talkative person to walk the earth but that did not necessarily mean that he was not interested in culturally valuable art and artifacts. Since he was a werewolf it was practically part of his job description to be interested in urban legends, folklore and the occult, it should even be part of his daily routine.

It took just a short while to reach shore. They left the boat, Stiles threw a kiss at it and both walked straight to the entrance of the museum.  
“Silent Hill Historical Society” Stiles read aloud from a conspicuous-looking sign hanging next to the door.

“Hm, I wonder what they exhibit.”

Derek pulled the door handle but Stiles, as curious as he was, pushed Derek inexorably to the side, he couldn’t wait to get a glimpse inside.

“Watch it, idiot!” Derek barked but Stiles was already inside, he ignored the front desk and went straight for the next room.

It was Derek this time whose job was to handle the receptionist… If there had been one in the first place. Why the hell was it empty? Derek bellowed a few ‘hellos’ but didn’t get a single response. It’s deserted.   

Completely occupied with examining this peculiar room, Stiles’ eyes darted from one object to the next. It was literally stuffed… with stuff, where the hell should he begin?

Derek’s face had a stoic expression as he entered the room. He breathed deeply and browsed his surroundings while ambling closer to Stiles, who collected his eyes off the exhibition pieces.

“You like what you see?”

Stiles woke up from his trance and squinted at Derek.

“W-what?”  
“Do you like it here?”  
“Oh, that. Erm-- yeah! In fact, I love it!” Stiles gnawed on his bottom lip.  
“Well, we shouldn’t be here. The reception is vacant, there is no one around.”

Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Come on, since when do you follow the rules? Let’s look around for a little while and then leave.”  
Derek scowled at Stiles face, who, in return, smiled his best smile.  
“Just for a _while_!” Derek’s scowl subsided.  
“YES!” Stiles darted to the closest standing art piece.   
“If we get caught, I’ll blame it all on you!”  
“Yeah, yeah, Grumpy.”

This gloomy museum itself could have been in a museum, Stiles thought as he strolled around, trying to read illegible stone plates.  
For some reason though, he felt like someone was watching him. His eyes darted occasionally around the room.  
And there it was; a shadow, for a split second someone stood propped against the window, then it was gone.  
Stiles dashed to it and looked outside. Someone was there, just a moment ago. Did he just imagine it? It must be… It couldn’t be. He started to question his sanity.

“Stiles, what is it?” Derek fixated on Stiles, crossing his arms.  
“Nothing… ” Stiles gasped for air. His heart, gosh, it didn’t stop pounding, it began pounding so hard in his chest, it was difficult for him to breathe.  
“Stiles, are you alright? I can hear your heart racing, what’s going on?”  
“Really, it’s nothing, I just have circulation problems, I guess I ran too fast earlier.” Stiles needed to sit down, so he took a seat on the bench close to him.

Seeing Stiles like this made Derek a little uneasy. Strange, considering everything they had been through, he should be used to Stiles being in trouble. But he was not.  
Stiles looked up to find Derek’s gaze on him.

“I’m fine, Derek. Really…” His shoulders slumped. “Would you please ignore my profoundly embarrassing scene and look at the exhibition?”

Derek snorted and trampled towards one of the books in the glass cases. He wasn’t sure what kind of language it was, but it obviously was not English, so he stepped over to an immensely dominant painting. He wondered how he could have missed it. It was… 

Someone looking down at him. A girl screaming.

People. Trees on fire.

Animals running. A house.

That house. 

Fire.

Stiles.

Stiles?!

Derek shook his head. It was Stiles who stood in front of him eyes squinted, violating his personal bubble.  
“God, get off me” He pushed Stiles aside who tilted his head questioningly.  
Derek peeped at the painting again. It was just a house.  
“I could have sworn it was…” But Derek shook it off, rubbing his neck.  
“I think you, too, could use a chill-pill, Derek”

Stiles aimed for a book that appeared to be significant to him. He studied it thoroughly, his mouth gaping as he finished reading the open pages.

“Dude, according to this book there were others who invaded this town, even before the American settlers came. This town used to have a different name. No one knows why they abandoned this place, though. Seems like there has always been something wrong with Silent Hill.“

Derek seemed thoughtful, it pleased Stiles to see that, it motivated him to move on to the next book.

“The Order?” Stiles read out loud and continued scanning it word for word.  
“What does it say?” Derek tapped his foot repeatedly on the floor.  
“Well, apparently there was some sort of religion in this town; I suppose it’s not Christian… It says that there was once a God, a female, so a Goddess.  She created two other Gods: the red God… holy shit, how do you even pronounce that?! Ksujililili…”  
Stiles tried to focus, rubbing his neck.          
“Xu-chil-bara… Xuchilbara, yes, HA! And the yellow God, Lobsel Vith – that one was easier!” His mouth tugged upwards at the corners as he celebrated his triumph.  
“It also says that their God died and that She promised to return if they kept their faith.”  
“Maybe these people were the ones that invaded this town before the settlers” Derek concluded.  
“Yeah, possibly.”   

This all seemed very peculiar to Stiles, he tried to gather his thoughts for a while now— unsuccessfully though.

Had he really seen someone in that window?

“Derek…” Stiles enunciated the werewolf’s name slowly.  
“Huh?” Derek perked his eyebrows as he glanced over to Stiles.  
“Pardon me, for interrupting your train of thought and if I was in fact interrupting you, please feel free to interrupt me interrupting you so you are not interrupted and I—“  
“STILES!”  
“S-sorry… erm, I wanted to ask you… a question, I shouldn’t even ask you this, it’s sheer lunacy, but since you’re the only one around, I don’t have much of a choice so… don’t laugh”  
“Ask already.”  
“Do you believe in ghosts?”

Derek looked puzzled. Usually, he would just laugh at him, but for some reason, he felt that this question contained some value. But he couldn’t let Stiles know this.

“No, I don’t.”  
“But you’re a werewolf!”  
“So what?! Just because I’m a werewolf doesn’t mean I believe in everything that is considered ‘supernatural’." Stiles felt a little bit guilty for implying that... does that make him a... speciesist? He wondered.  
“I only trust and believe in my senses. Nothing else. If I can see, smell, touch, hear or taste it, it’s real. And I don’t recall ever sensing a ghost.” Derek said, his voice clipped.  Who was he trying to convince here?  
“Apparently werewolves lack a sixth sense, good to know.”  
“Shut up!” Derek snapped.  
“Okay, who told you, you could get away with ‘shut up’ every time!”  
Stiles glared at Derek and pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. It was clear to him that he could remove Derek from his ‘talk-to’ list for now.

They left the museum and went for a short walk. Stiles was the one leading the adventure party and aimed for Rosewater Park. Derek followed him with a pensive expression. Stiles felt bad for asking about ghosts, he would have avoided the topic it if he had known that it would occupy his mind that much. Luckily, the street headed directly to the park, so Stiles had no problems getting them there. He dipped into the cars they passed and wondered the location of their owners. Besides the receptionist Sarah and the strange shadow, there was no one else to be found. As they arrived at Rosewater Park, Stiles noticed that the fog had started to thicken because he had trouble reading the sign that was welcoming visitors into the park.

 

<x><x><x><x>

 

“In memory of the sixty seven who died of illness and now sleep beneath the lake.” Stiles read out loud under his breath. He was standing in front of a stone tablet twice his size.  
“OH MY GOD AND I TOUCHED THAT WATER!” Stiles wiped his hands on his shirt, making a disgusted face.

Derek was sitting on a bench; his eyes followed Stiles as he ambled to the iron fence that separated him from the lake.

“Look, ‘No Fishing’” He pointed with a finger to the sign-board.  
“You wanna’ fish some dead people?”  
Derek couldn’t help but smirk at Stiles, the tension leaving the both of them. Stiles laughed in relief.

“I’m sorry, Stiles… The way I behave… It’s just… Something feels wrong…”  
“I guess I know what you mean Derek, I can feel it, too”  
“I saw something Stiles.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Inside the museum… there was a painting…”  
Derek took a deep breath before he continued.

“You probably saw it too, it was very prominent... “ Derek rubbed the corner of his eyes.  
“And I looked at it, and I saw a house. A burning house… My family’s house…” He lowered his gaze and looked at the stone floor.  
”It reminded me of everything, everything that I was trying to forget. It reminded me of the sound of my sister screaming, the police padding our heads, telling us, ‘everything is going to be okay’.”  
Stiles propped against the fence. He felt sympathy for Derek, he wished he could do something to erase his memories.  
“You never told me about that incident. Some random people told me about it and I read it in your arrest report, when you were falsely accused of killing your sister.”  
Derek met Stiles eyes. Yeah, it was a bad habit of Stiles to read people’s arrest reports, he made a mental note to change that.  
“It was no one’s business…” Derek huffed.   
“I’m sorry…” Stiles sat down, startling at the coldness of the stone ground, his view still fixated on Derek, who sat there, resting his hands on his knees, his eyebrows frowned and he could see Derek’s tongue darting nervously out of his mouth every once in a while.  
“You don’t have to be sorry… Stiles… I don’t know, since the moment we arrived here, I couldn’t think about anything else. I feel, as if this town is calling out to my past...”  
“We can talk about it, if you--”  
“It was all my fault… ”

Derek didn’t hesitate for a second. Wow, that was a first for Stiles. Derek would usually grunt at him and walk away, but this time it was different. Maybe… Maybe that was Derek’s true self, maybe that was Derek before he had suffered the loss of his family. Maybe he was waiting for someone to finally listen to him, someone who had the patience to stay with him long enough for him to open up. Or more precisely some fidgety high school boy who dragged him into a foggy town that was infamous for revealing hidden emotions.

“You remember Kate, right?” Stiles nodded.  
“When I was in high school, I met her in some bar, I wasn’t old enough to be there, my fake ID didn’t really work… And they told me to leave. But then she emerged out of nowhere, she told them that I belonged with her… And we took a seat in a random corner. She ordered me a few drinks and we started talking… She was so curious, asked about school, if I had a girlfriend and how it was possible for me not to have one… She buttered me all up. Until finally, she was all ears about my family… And I told her everything, I behaved like a dumb, horny kid.” He cleared his throat.

“I was such an idiot. And she was so pretty. I mean, she was so smart and experienced, I felt really great. I felt like an adult.” He smiled, but his eyes told a different story.  
“We had sex that night… She was my first…” Derek’s voice weakened at the last words.

Why did it sting? Stiles rubbed the nape of his neck.

“I kept seeing her for a week. Every time I met her, she insisted on me showing her my home, but I told her that my family is very strict and wouldn’t allow me to be with an older woman. Then she questioned my love for her and I promised to take her to my house once my family was gone.

“A few days later, my parents had business in another city and the rest of my family was either at school or somewhere else. I skipped classes and took her to our house… She was so interested in it, I was so naïve and gullible and showed her around… I should have been more suspicious…  But I wasn’t.“ His voice was shaking. He took a few long breaths and rested his head against the back of the bench.  
“The next day… Laura and I were at school… All I could think about was meeting Kate again… I texted her for hours but she didn’t respond. I was worried that my parents had found out about Kate and threatened her to leave me alone or something like that…”  
His eyes darkened.  
“Then, when school was almost over, the principal came to our classroom. He picked me and Laura out and ordered us to follow him to his office… A few police officers were standing there, looking at us with those pitiful eyes. That’s when they told us… I thought they were joking, I laughed at them… but then my sister cried, and that was it, the moment I truly realized what we were just told. I remember her screaming. It was so sharp, I felt my ears hurt, but I couldn’t care less. I just stood there… Silent…”

Stiles stood up with a gaping mouth.

“That means… you… you always knew it was Kate who burned your house?”

Derek closed his eyes, with narrowed eyebrows, he nodded.

“I didn’t have proof, but of course it was her.”

He hadn’t known. Stiles had no idea about the guilt Derek had harbored in his heart all these years.

“It wasn’t your fault, Derek… You were just a teenager head over heels over a pretty woman.” Stiles voice was soothing.  
“I should have told my family about her! They’d have identified her as an Argent and warned me about her! BUT NO, I WAS TOO SCARED!” Derek snapped the words out.

“I COULD HAVE SAVED MY FAMILY! Stiles… can you… even imagine the pain I felt…? All that guilt, all that weight… and no one around who could relieve me from it?! Do you have ANY idea?!”

Yes. He had.

Despite all attempts, Derek couldn't prevent tearing up a bit. It was the first time in his life that Stiles saw Derek like this.

“If… if I had just told anyone… your father… but I had no proof, Stiles… But your father was so nice to me… I should have told him it was her… Then… my sister wouldn’t have searched for the killer… and… she… would be still alive…”

“I-I…I…” Single tears started dropping.

Stiles shuffled closer to Derek and took a seat next to him. He hesitated for a second, but then he put his arm around Derek, holding him tight, caressing his back.

Derek tensed up for a moment, as he felt Stiles warm arm around him. He just let it happen. A confused mixture of relieve and rejection came over him.

“I’m here for you now…” Stiles tried to suppress his tears, but he felt Derek’s pain.

Derek noticed Stiles’ teary eyes. It had been a long, long time since someone had cried for him. But no, Derek could sense it, it was a mutual sorrow, they shared pain. Stiles Stilinski shared Derek Hale’s pain. The two polar opposites of personalities shared this one pain, the pain of loss and regret. For a single moment, Derek was not alone. He fixated on Stiles, who squeaked a whining sound in the back of his throat; it was the most adorable thing Derek has ever heard. Never had he felt so touched by someone…

Derek leaned closer to Stiles, cupped his face softly with one hand and mouthed a ‘thank you’ at him. Stiles’ eyes flickered rapidly between Derek’s alluring eyes and lips.

But there was something. He could see it in the corner of his eyes, Stiles woke up from his trance and pushed himself off Derek, who startled at Stiles’ sudden movement.

“I’m sorry, Derek, but I have to go!”  
“Stiles, what is going on?!”  
“COME DEREK, HURRY!”

Stiles ran off.

This time, he was sure of it. There was someone. Not only someone. It was ‘her’.


	2. art thou player or audience?

Was it really possible? Never in his life had he even considered he would see that face again. In his dreams perhaps, but not with his own eyes. Not physically, not in front of him. Never. This was one chapter in his life that had been ripped from his small hands, never to be seen, never to be read, never to be heard again. He was sure of it. He had dealt with it. He wanted it to be over.

That one was a lie.

Stiles couldn’t deny it. Not to himself. He had to admit it. There was another reason for why he was so eager to go to Silent Hill. And maybe now, maybe now was the chance, the chance he had been hoping for since they had arrived.  
He ran with everything he had, following a mere shadow; unsure whether it was benevolent or not. He had to take this chance.

Fog invaded his view. It was a curtain, created to hide the truth. Or maybe it was protecting him? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was finding this shadow again. Finding… her.

And then, it happened in a matter of milliseconds, there was no ground under his feet. Stiles stretched his arms out, reaching for something, anything, but his hands grabbed desperately into emptiness.

He fell. Everything was black.

 

<x><x><x><x>

 

“SHIT!” Derek sprinted. “DAMN IT!” He sprinted faster.  
He left the park. He crossed the street. Then he went back to the Park. Followed the street up, down, ran left, ran right. Nothing.  
“I can’t see shit!” The fog was too thick.  
“STILES!!” Why the hell had he run off? Why hadn’t he waited for him? He had to be somewhere; he couldn’t have just vanished into thin air. Not now.  
“Please…” He panted; he didn’t take the time for breathing anymore, his mind was only focused on finding the one person… who understood.

 

<x><x><x><x>

 

It was cold. Everything around him was cold… and… damp? He pushed himself off the metallic floor. Where was he? What had happened? He felt nauseous. His head hurt. And his legs. And his back, too. And, oh god, everything hurt. It was dark, too dark to get a clear vision. All he felt was this horrible freeze and a damp, hard floor. Had it been raining? Where was Derek? Where was… she?  
He cleared his throat and used his remaining strength to push himself off the ground. The room was suddenly brighter. He spotted a ray of light gleaming through the window of a metallic door. It blinded him.  
“Damn…” Stiles uttered while rubbing his eyes, trying to get rid of the funny colors in his vision. He took his hands off his eyes and even though it was blurry he could detect a person looking through the door’s window.  
“WAIT! ARE Y—“ The whole place started shaking. “What the?!” Stiles tripped and fell to the ground. He studied his surroundings, discovering that he was indeed in a room, completely consisting of metal, but it was… rusty? “Am I in a freaking submarine?!” And again, Stiles had to question his sanity, but hey, that seemed to be a daily routine in this town. But fate surely didn’t give him much time to question himself; his ears noticed the sound of rushing water, a lot of water… It came from below his feet.  
“Please don’t tell me…”  
Yup, his wet jeans and shoes confirmed his foreboding. It was water. And it started rising.  
“FUCK!”  
Stiles obeyed his first instinct: finding escape. He splashed to the door, reached for the door handle and… there was no door handle. Stiles’ heart nearly stopped. Manically, he hammered against the door, crying for help, crying for Derek, but nothing worked, and no one listened. He peered through the window, but there was just the light bulb hanging around, minding no one’s business. Then he remembered something he had seen in a movie once.  
Gallantly, he took his red hoodie off… his favorite one…  
“I love you, please don’t rip and please don’t hate me and O. M. G. you are the best thing in my life” He said in a very calming voice, soothing his hoodie while wrapping it around his clenched fist.  
He went into a fighting stance, readying his wrapped fist and thrust against the window.

“OUCH!”

Not even a little crack, nothing. This window was absolutely indestructible. And Stiles had to find it out in the painful way.

Time was running out. The water kept rising, already at his chest. He punched again and again, ignoring the pain in his fist. No change. He calculated less than 3 minutes until the room would be completely flooded and… Stiles… completely dead. It was the same feeling like back in the hospital, when his mother had died. The waiting. Knowing death could come any second. Waiting… for it to end.

                                                          

<x><x><x><x>

 

Derek couldn’t find a single lead. No trace of Stiles. Nothing that would even signify that Stiles existed.

Was it his curse?  
Was Derek condemned for eternity?  
Was this ‘God’, ‘destiny’ or ‘karma’ taking its toll?  
Taking everything he had ever cared for?

As he followed one street after another, he did not only wonder about Stiles’ whereabouts, it was everyone. All the people had vanished. They left cars empty and doors open, like they suddenly all disappeared.   
All these apartments, shops, cafés, they all told stories about a blooming town; full of happiness, of friendly people, living side by side, enjoying the days of their life.  
He imagined happy parents pushing their kids on the swing while their dog was jumping and barking around, sniffing at people’s asses…  
Dog… sniffing…   
“Wait a fucking second…” It hit him.  
How could he forget? He was a freaking werewolf. For the past hours, he had actually forgotten what he valued most: his inner wolf. All that bare laying of emotions, whining and the rest of that crap, it had been because of Stiles. Derek was usually one of those emotionally constipated types, but Stiles made him feel weak! Fragile! So… human.

It worried him, though. It was his identification, being a werewolf. If there was one thing he knew about his existence, one thing he was sure of, it was him being a born werewolf. Whenever he was confused, he turned… he hunted…  he became one with nature; an animal, wild and free; cold and merciless. It was time to feel it again.

 

<x><x><x><x>

 “I’m sorry De—” Time was out, Stiles inhaled as deep as possible, he was now completely under water. The room was completely filled. It was over. His life was officially over. He was bound to die an unkissed virgin. He’d had one chance but he had blown it.

He closed his eyes, visualizing Derek wandering around, looking for him. He saw Derek back in Beacon Hills, knocking on his door, facing his father, confessing what had happened, telling him, that he had vanished, maybe even died and his father would fall to his knees, sobbing, holding his face, feeling devastated for the loss of his only son… the loss of his whole family.  
I’m sorry, dad…

His whole body tensed. Right… This feeling… he remembers talking to someone about it… to… Ms. Morrell, his guidance counselor. It had been then, after the whole Matt-incident… they had talked about drowning… About this instinct, called voluntary apnea… the instinct of the body to endure excruciating pain in order to avoid opening one’s mouth while drowning… You’re supposed to pass out before you’re dead. He hoped for it. He hoped it would happen to him…  
“If you’re going through hell… keep going.”  
The door opened. The water shot out of the room, leaving Stiles soaking wet on the ground, striving for air. He took deep breaths, filled his lungs with as much air as he was capable bearing.   
!!!

A sudden, menacing sound started to fill the room.

He startled, holding his ears.

What terrifying noise was that?! A tornado siren?!

He felt as if every single atom in his body tried to warn him, commanding his mind to escape.  
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Stiles felt a terrible heat under his body. The floor was heating, not only heating, it started to fall apart. One hole after another was cracking open; Stiles had no choice but to run. His body and mind was a wreck, but he ran. There was a long hallway, ending with another door. He looked back and saw the floor crumbling away, leaving nothing but darkness. How could he possibly survive this?

“Keep going.” 

The door opened. There it was again, the shadow, it reached for him. Stiles put everything he had into this one last sprint. He reached his arm out and grabbed for the hand, which dragged him inside. Stiles stumbled to the floor, completely exhausted, breaths heavy and unsteady, but stopping, once he was facing the shadow again, seeing it clearly, verifying to him that it indeed was… her. Tears started falling, he couldn’t hold them back.

“M-mom!” Finally, he allowed himself to think, let alone say it.

“I-it is you…” His voice choked.  
“Stiles, I’ve missed you so much…” She very gingerly stepped closer.  
“Mom… how… are you—“ His tears interrupted him. This feeling deep inside of him, it was too much to handle.

What was he supposed to feel? What was he supposed to think?

“Come to me, Stiles. Everything is going to be okay now, I’m here for you”  
She smiled. No please don’t smile, please don’t smile.  
“Mommy, I’m so, so sorry…” Stiles didn’t stop weeping. He wanted to say so much, but he couldn’t phrase a single sentence. He reached his hand out. She stepped closer and closer, reaching out as well, meeting his hand very slowly, touching his fingertips and… stopped.

“Who are you?!” She screamed.

What had happened? Her look, her smile changed, she was shocked. Her face expressed nothing but shock and fear.

“WHO ARE YOU?! DON’T TOUCH ME!” She shrieked.  
“DOCTOR, DOCTOR; WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?!” She shook her face, looking for someone.   
“GET HIM OUT OF HERE!” Her finger pointed at Stiles.  
No, please. Not this. Not again. Stiles held his ears and looked to the ground in order to avoid seeing her face. His heart cracked open a fraction, hearing these words again. It was too reminiscent.  
“Please… stop…” Stiles bellowed in suffering, still holding his ears but peeking at her for a glimpse of a second. He peeked again and again. It took him a few seconds to realize a transformation process. She changed… she morphed? Her former white dress was nothing more than a dirty rag covered with holes and blood stains. Her face was quivering in agony as her skin grew multiple abscesses which covered almost all of her body. Her face melted down slowly, leaving a grotesque mass of skin that covered her eyes completely and also revealed slightly her jawbone and teeth out to the open. Stiles froze. Silent tears streamed down his face. He couldn’t look away from her. Never had he seen such an abomination, such a… monster. There was nothing left of his mother. That… thing shrieked. It was slurring something. But Stiles didn’t listen. He crawled on the floor with his hands and feet, he wanted to leave. All he cared about now was to leave, to escape this horror, to finally wake up from this nightmare. His voice was gone; he couldn’t make a single sound.

It limbed closer and closer, motioning its arms toward Stiles.

Stiles shot a look at it, his eyes full of panic, as he was still trying to escape, crawling along the floor until there was nothing. Stiles fell. He fell into the deep abyss. 

The wail of the tornado siren filled the emptiness around him.

<x><x><x><x>

Derek steered his vision skyward as he let his anger rush through his veins, giving him a feeling of release, almost orgasmic. His eyes turned a crimson red. His muscles flexed as he felt his claws and teeth lengthen. He didn’t turn completely though; he couldn’t be careless, there was still a possibility for residents lurking around town. Still, it was enough power to use his wolf senses in its full potential.

“Got you!” Derek caught his scent instantly. Never had he received such satisfaction by sensing someone’s smell. Stiles wasn’t far off… but… Derek scanned that place already, how could he possibly have missed him? He shook the thought off, it was more important to finally get to him. Derek raced after the scent trail and it didn’t take him long. Stiles was lying on the ground, his arms and legs spread from his body and he was… unconscious? There was  a steady heartbeat, it was a huge relief to Derek. He could finally breathe knowing Stiles was somewhat safe. Derek wondered what had happened to the young man. 

“Stiles! Stiles, wake up!” He shook him. No reaction. He continued shaking him, slapping his face gently, but nothing helped.

“Damn it, Stiles, what are you doing…” He heaved a sigh and lifted Stiles off the ground noticing Stiles’ frail frame. Stiles felt even skinner than he looked.  
It was getting dark. Derek contemplated going back to the hotel was the best decision at this moment. What had happened to Stiles? Who had done it? Derek felt an urge to avenge Stiles, no matter who the hell had hurt him.

Derek returned them to the boat and rowed back to the hotel, opening the entrance and facing a worried and terrified Sarah.

 

<x><x><x><x>

Room 312. Derek pushed the door open, Stiles still slumbering in Derek’s arms, his face calm and relaxed, his soft and full lips open just a little bit, as usual. He looked like a sleeping angel. God, had he really thought that just now? He felt like puking at his own thoughts. Derek dropped Stiles very gently on his bed, still focusing his gaze on Stiles’ face. Sarah ordered him to prepare him for bed… which means taking his clothes off… Derek contemplated doing it. That’s what you’re supposed to do, right? But what if he woke up?

Hesitating, Derek pulled a little on a sleeve of Stiles’ hoodie. He felt embarrassed for acting up like that. It was just Stiles. Just some boy. Some random boy he had met because of unfortunate events. And now here he was. In a freaking ghost town with this unconscious, nerve-wrecking kid who had made him let his guard down for the first time in his life after hell had broken loose. 

He huffed. Carefully, but swiftly, Derek freed him from his hoodie, leaving Stiles only with his dark blue _Ben Sherman_ t-shirt. Stiles wore these two almost every day, they were his favorite. And why did he know that?

It didn’t take Derek long to take Stiles t-shirt off next. And there he was, n nearly naked, his skin as pale as the moonlight that was shedding a light on him. Stiles was not necessarily very muscular. He was skinny, very lean, it just fitted his spry personality. Derek mustered his torso. He could count every single mole and freckle on it. His skin was pure and smooth; it almost seemed as if a single touch from Derek could cause a bruise on his body… Leave a mark… Marking Stiles… He scrutinized Stiles’ face, his head was resting peacefully on the pillow, his mouth still agape, a tongue darting out every once and a while, touching his soft and pouty lips. Derek could feel his instincts tickling the part of his brain responsible for movement, but he resisted. He tried to ignore his asinine thoughts. He shook his head, throwing every single thought out of his mind as he continued taking Stiles’ jeans off. Skinny jeans. Very skinny. Skin tight. Oh god. Reluctantly, Derek’s hands aimed for the Jeans’ button, hoping that Stiles was not one of the ‘ _I don’t wear underwear_ ’-type of guys. He unbuttoned it in a quick move, sighing in relief as he saw boxer briefs negating his presumption. He gritted his teeth as he pulled Stiles’ jeans off his lanky long legs. Stiles jerked. Derek’s heart jumped.

And nothing happened. Derek unfroze, realizing that Stiles’ muscles must have reacted to a dream he might have been having. And there he was: Stiles, only in his boxer briefs, half-naked, defenseless and open for everything. His scent was spreading around the room. His body didn’t stop giving off his scent, he was everywhere… and Derek right amidst. Okay, that was enough for him, fuck it, he moved closer until— something was odd, Stiles’ heart pounded way faster than usual. Derek raised his head steadily, directing his view on Stiles’ face… who… was…

“Derek?!”  
Derek jumped.  
“What are you—are… you…?!”

Embarrassment and downright discomfort swelled within Derek’s body.

“I am nothing! I mean, I didn’t do—“

Stiles eyebrows frowned while he tried to cover his almost naked body with his hands.  His eyes scanned the place for any reasonable explanation for why he lay there exposed in front of the werewolf—who still had his clothes on... He felt a little bummed about the second fact.  
“I found you lying unconscious on the cold stone floor…” He rubbed the corner of his eyes. “So I brought you back to the hotel… and, well, Sarah told me to take your clothes off so that I can put you under the blanket.”

“Oh… of course.” A hint of disappointment dwelled within Stiles.  
“By the way, what the hell happened to you, Stiles?!”

It was in that instant that the memories of the previous events shot back into his mind, invading his few moments of deluded peace. Stiles checked his body, but failed to discover any sign of injury. He should be dotted with bruises and even flesh wounds, but he was completely unharmed.

Was it just a dream?

“Stiles?”  
“Huh? – Oh, erm, I’m not so sure myself. I was just standing there… and then the… ground opened up…” He stopped, analyzing Derek’s facial reaction.

“The ground opened up?” Derek bellowed, his eyebrows perking in disbelief.  
“Yes!” Stiles snapped.  
“Derek, I mean it! And it was right below me and then I fell down into a long, long fall. I landed in some frikkin’ metallic room and then there was water everywhere… and the room filled up with gallons of water—I almost drowned—and then there was this familiar voice… and then the door opened and I got out but then the ground started to melt and I ran for my life and then there was my mom, she saved me! But then she wasn’t my mom anymore and her skin decomposed and she shrieked and I was so scared and then I fell into emptiness again and I—I—“

“Stiles!” Derek grabbed the shaking boy’s shoulders, holding him firmly and tight. The boy’s eyes had got all teary, he was almost hyperventilating.

“It was just a dream, Stiles!” But he didn’t listen; his cruel memories kept haunting his visual mind.

“I found you unconscious! You were completely dry and there was absolute no trace or sign of anything of what you’ve just described.” Now he listened. Derek felt relieved to get his attention.

“You must have tripped and hit your head or something” Derek supposes, yet… he wasn’t fully convinced himself of his try on a rational explanation. There was no bruise or scratch on Stiles head, no smell of blood… no proof for violence… and he wouldn’t just faint without a reason. And let’s not mention the sudden vanishing of all of Stiles’ traces. It bothered him in the back of his mind. It doesn’t matter now, Derek decided. First he needed to calm his lanky friend’s nerves.

“A… dream?” Stiles let out a heavy sigh.

“Just a dream.”

No.

It was impossible. It felt too real to just have been a dream. It was real. Definitely.

… Right?

“The ground just doesn’t spontaneously crack open and lets you end up in some metallic room that fills with water—don’t let me even start about the sudden appearance of your…” Derek hesitated to say the next words, “dead mother. It was a merely a nightmare, nothing more, nothing less.”

Derek’s diagnosis seemed legitimate. Besides, it wasn’t the first time that Stiles had imagined things. It had happened once before, that time when he had been poisoned by wolf’s bane and had had an illusion of his father, drunk, blaming him for the death of… mom.

Stiles collected himself. “Maybe you’re right.”  
“I know I’m right.”

They both met each other’s eyes; Stiles gazed upon Derek’s face, examining them for a hint of doubt. Derek scowled and tossed Stiles’ jeans on his face.

“Now get under the blanket you idiot, I can smell your junk.”  
Stiles blushed as he remembered that he was practically exposed to Derek.  
“Do you like the smell?” His eyes sparkled in curiosity while inquiring the broody man, who in return made a disgusted face.

“Get the fuck under the blanket and sleep!”  
“Is there a reason why you chose the word ‘fuck’?” He chuckled self-satisfied.

Derek stomped toward the door, his body cringing at Stiles’ words. His back facing to the perverted kid, he mumbled: “I’m down in the lobby, you should get some rest.”

“I don’t need rest, Derek, I feel fine.” Sleeping was the last thing he wanted to do now, he was too afraid of the chance of meeting _it_ again.  
“Stiles you need to—“  
“Derek, please”  
Sensing the downright fear in Stiles’ body was enough to persuade him.

"I’ll meet you in the lobby in 20 minutes. Get a shower.”  
“’Mind joining me…?”  
“Be down in 20 minutes!”

He left, shutting the door with enough force to startle Stiles.  
He snickered and smiled.

…

“Hm… a dream.”

…

“Just a dream…” His smile faded.

 

<x><x><x><x>

 

As Stiles pounced swiftly down the stairs, he heard the grumbling sound of people talking. One voice was particularly deep and husky. It sounded like as if it came from a lion that had been deprived from sexual intercourse for quite some time… What the hell? That comparison didn‘t even make any sense. He swept the image from his mind and continued his way to the source of the sounds: Derek and Sarah. Bleary-eyed, he entered the lobby. He rubbed his eyes to clear his sight.  They were both standing in the middle of the lobby.

“Well, look who rose from the dead!” Sarah’s expression lightened up, the moment she caught a glimpse of Stiles coming closer.

“You adorable, innocent, sweet, little bastard had me all worried when Derek bashed through the doors, all sweaty and sexy and you unconscious in his arms. Wasn’t sure if I should be terrified or happy for you!” She grinned smugly at them. “Warn me next time, you’re gonna scare the shit out of me, cupcake!”

Scarlet embarrassment colored his face. Derek seemed as unfazed as always. That emotionless bastard. Wait, Stiles remembered. His beautiful, nonchalant mug is nothing but an act. He remembered the moment he caught a glimpse at Derek’s inner feelings and his secret pain. Now he marveled at Derek.

What was he looking at like that? Derek felt uncomfortable.

“Boys, I’m still here.”

“Oh, s-sorry, Sarah! Erm, yeah, don’t worry. It won’t happen again.”  
“You bet it won’t. Seeing your boyfriend worried sick, he won’t let you out of his sight again. Or else, I will whoop his well-formed ass!”  
“For the last time, he is NOT my… Oh, forget you!” Derek grumbled.  
“I can take care of myself, too, you know.” Stiles voiced these words while having his hands on his hips, mimicking a Derek-frown.  
“Whatever lets you sleep at night, sweetie!” She winked with a smirk.

She is alright, Stiles concluded, again.

“Ah! With all the talking I forgot I made a stew! You must be hungry, right? Go to the lake shore restaurant, I’ll serve it in there. It’s right that way—”  
“I know where it is.”  
“Good, great, see you in a few minutes!” Impatiently, she wandered off to the kitchen, excluding any other option but to eat dinner now.

“How do you know where it is, Derek?”  
“I can smell it. Now let’s go.”

Stiles nodded, following the wolf’s steps to a spacious and beautifully decorated room—if you like flower patterns, that is. There were several tables scattered around the room, offering a great seating capacity. The other end of the room provided a magnificent view to the lake, enhancing the already luxurious appearance of this restaurant… if there wasn’t all that fog, coating the whole area.

One table was already set.

“AW! Look, candles!” Stiles dashed to the table, calling dibs on a seat.  
“It’s a candle light dinner.” He quipped with a nasty expression.

Derek took the seat across from Stiles. It was in that instant that Sarah entered from a door that linked the restaurant directly with the kitchen. “Here comes dinner!” Sarah chirped with a pot holding in her hands.   “Yummy, it smells good!”

Sarah served the stew to Stiles and Derek, leaving herself out

“You’re not eating?” Stiles inquired.  
“Nah, not hungry. Just go ahead, there is more than enough left in the pot.”

Stiles ogled his stew with hungry eyes. The candle light shimmered within the thick liquid of deliciousness. It consisted of various vegetables— one of them was pumpkin, Stiles smelt—and there were pieces of meat. Its orange basic color was graced with green and red colored vegetables, added with sour cream and adorned with freshly looking herbs. Overall, Stiles could tell that this wasn’t just simple cooking—“This is art!” Stiles enthused, his eyes sparkling with happiness. He plunged right into the stew with his spoon, worshiping every single drop he slurped. Pleasure flickered over his face.

Derek on the other hand, he ate his stew stoically… yet, the undeniable moment of silence and motionlessness after taking the first bite was proof enough of his satisfaction.

Stiles could tell that the stew’s seasoning was sheer ingenuity. “I’ve never tasted such liquid of the Gods! Oh and let alone the shrewd use of pumpkin as the dominating flavor!” He meant it. Every single word.  
“I know, right? I’m an excellent chef!” She padded herself on the shoulder.

The right shoulder…

“You’re left handed” Derek stated.  
“Why, yes, Derek, I am. So?” She elongated the last vowel with a questioning intonation.

“Nothing, I just realized it now.” He let it go for now. The memory.  
“Alright. Weirdo!” She steered her sight back to Stiles, who looked like he had an exorbitant amount of questions on his mind.

“What is it, Stiles?”  
“Sarah… Sorry to pressure you with this now… but while we’re together eating, well you’re not eating but Derek and I are. But anyways, while we’re here together… may I ask you a few questions about… this town?”  
“Sure, go ahead”

“What happened to the people? It’s completely deserted. No sign of any present life. Except you.” His eyes flickered with curiosity but also had a very stern expression. He was serious.

Lowering her gaze, she heaved a sigh. Stiles could see that she had known this question would eventually come up and confront her with things she would apparently rather forget.

“I wish I knew, sweetie.” She buttoned her cardigan as if the temperature of the room had sunk.

“It wasn’t always like this… Not long ago, you know, this town was so full of life. There were families with children everywhere. It was so beautiful… Our hotel was always completely booked up.” She clenched her jaw “And one day…”  
“People started disappearing.”

“Correct. How did you know, Stiles?”  
“I found some pieces of newspaper scattered around the streets, they had missing person’s reports... lots of them.”

She nodded.

“You know, _Silent Hill_ was always renowned for its purifying qualities. People came here to refresh their batteries, find relaxation; just for simple vacations. But when the word got on the street about people disappearing all over the place… the visits declined. People were too scared. Who can blame them?”

Derek listened to the story and finished his stew, keeping his focus on Sarah.

“That’s not all. We also had some unsolved homicides. Dead bodies were found occasionally in the most random places—with no sign of any evidence or sometimes not even a murder weapon! Many of them died of heart attacks—people not older than 20! That’s insane!”

Her eyes reflected the grim memories that pestered her mind.  
“We even had cases of suicide in our own hotel; people that hanged themselves.”

Stiles could see how much it plagued her; he sympathized with her and also felt an enormous admiration for being such a lively and content person despite all the pain and loneliness.

“Why are you still here?”  
“Because this is my home! And I made a promise to my father to take care of this place. This hotel belongs to my family and after the death of my parents I was the only one who volunteered to become its master. The rest of my family doesn’t give a shit about it—screw them!”

Stiles’ noticed Derek’s pensive expression. He seemed quite occupied with something.

“I tried to modernize this hotel and even created a website for this town, which was long overdue by the way…”  
“You made the website?” Stiles mouth gaped in astonishment.  
“Sure I did!”  
“Awww...” His voice choked and his shoulders slumped down. “You poor, strong, marvelous, beautiful goddess of everything that is beautiful!” He threw himself over Sarah, embracing her with his lanky arms.

“You’re an amazon! No, a Valkyrie! Taking care of everything on your own!” He padded her back furiously.  
“Aw, thanks, but stop that, it hurts.”  
“Sorry.” He kept hugging her.  
“You’re my astute fox. Smarty-pants!”      

She responded Stiles’ hug and caressed the top of his head, going with her fingers through his stubbly hair.  
“You should let it grow; you’d look so much cuter! Right, grumpy?”

She glanced over to Derek, who startled at the sudden focus of attention.  
“Hell if I know.”  He shrugged his shoulders.

“Say, Sarah” Stiles released himself off Sarah’s hug and went back to his seat, “I read something about an order and weird Gods with unpronounceable names. Do you happen to know something about it?”

“Look who did his homework! You’re referring to THE _Order_ , a sect that resided this town many, many years ago. No, I don’t particularly know much about it, just that they were heartless creatures, calling themselves saviors and saints and all that crap. They sacrificed human lives for their stupid Gods. Trust me; if there are any Gods, they have left this place long time ago.”

“But maybe they have something to do with the dis—“

Sarah broke out a high pitched laugh.

“Please, Stiles, don’t start with ancient Gods who devour human bodies. This is reality. I don’t believe in such things.”

Stiles instantly darted his eyes to Derek. She had no idea.

“But maybe they—“  
“Stiles!” She snapped, her voice forcefully and demanding. “Oh boy, look at me, I behave like a fury bitch…” She scratched the back of his head. “S-sorry… just—just don’t burden your poor brain with more unnecessary, wicked thoughts, sweetie.”

It’s true, Stiles was already occupied by plenty other worries and confusing memories. He felt a little dizzy, apparently still lacking rest. But it wasn’t over. His desire for answers was all but sated. He needed to know what had happened in this godforsaken town.

After rapidly gulping the rest of his stew down, Stiles got up from his seat and made a little bow like an actor after his performance.

“I’m off now. I need a hell of a lot more rest, my head’s killing me.”  
“Alright, have a good nap and dream dirty, perverted dreams of sweaty muscular torso over there—remember, we cannot hear you from down here!” She winked mockingly at Stiles again.

“Oh my god!” Stiles hurried out, his head pulsing of heat.

“He’s some special and smart boy.”  
“Yes, he is.” Derek approved.  
“Too smart for his own good. He gets in trouble easily, huh?”  
“Tell me about it…” Derek sighed.  
“You have to be there for him, when it happens.”

Derek closed his eyes and kept quiet.

“Poor kid is—“  
“You shouldn’t underestimate him.” Derek interrupted, looking stern at Sarah.  
“I’m not. I’m just saying, you should stay by his side.”  
“You don’t need to tell me what to do.”  
“You’re such a kid, Der!”  
“Shut up, Laura.”  
“Laura?”

Wait. Shit. What happened? Why did he just call her Laura?

He knew exactly why… She reminded him so much of her, it was scary.  
“She… she was my sister.”

“Oh… I see.”  
“We fought all the time… and she always felt the need to order me around and instructing how to do things… and the way you called me ‘Der’… just like she did.” A faint smiled adorned his face. “She was also a great cook… and left handed.”

She expressed a sound of understanding. 

“Well, she must have been an awesome girl then!” She snickered with eyes smiling honesty.  
“You have no idea… I miss her all the time. Strangely, when I’m around you, I feel like home…”

God no, are we seriously doing the emotional talk again, Derek? Keep it together, he thought.  
“Aw, look at you. I didn’t think you were capable of expressing real emotions. I assumed only your eyebrows were assigned for that job.” She punched Derek’s shoulder.

He raised the corner of his mouth.

“I think, I should go to bed now, too…”  
“Alright, remember, your room is the one on the right, 312.”  
“Sarah…”  
“Oh, come on, it was worth a shot!”  
“Good night, Sarah.”  
“Sleep tight, big boy.”

Derek headed to his room and went straight to bed.

 

<x><x><x><x>

 

 _Knock. …_  
Knock, knock. …  
Knock… Knock, knock, knock, knock.  
“Wha iz id…?” Derek slurred, eyes closed and sticky of sleep.   

The door opened and the pale face of Stiles peeked inside.  
“Can… I… come in?” He entered carefully, closing the door very tenderly.  
“No… you can’t…”

Stiles was already standing in front of Derek’s bed, his gaze fixating the naked torso that was exposed to his innocent eyes. The view invaded his mind and tainted it with filthy desires… innocent my ass.

“I thought I said no…” Derek lifted his upper body by propping his underarms against the bed, positioning himself for a probably longer talk. Stiles perked his eyebrows and pouted his lower lip while cocking his head like a sad dog. Throwing him out seemed like a callous thing to do… Also, he couldn’t deny his _obligation_ to Stiles, considering the moment he shared with him in the park. That moment of full disclosure. Silent Hill’s atmosphere really did get on Derek’s nerves; it’s unbelievable to what it had driven him up till now.

“Damn… what is it?” He blinked blearily.

“I’m sorry, you know... this… dream” Let’s call it a dream for now, Stiles chimed in in his mind, “about my mom… It’s bugging me and honestly, I just can’t stop thinking about it.” Stiles prepared himself to be rejected and thrown out.  
“You want to talk about it?”

Stiles lightened up, he didn’t expect this turning point.  
“I’d love to.”

Derek rolled to the right side of the bed, offering Stiles the other side to sit. He jumped on the bed, crawled under the blanket, his eyes luminous with joy.

“I didn’t mean you could sleep in my bed…”

“I know, it’s just a lot more comfy to talk under a warm, flower patterned blanket.”  
“Alright, but you’re out as soon as we’re done here.”  
“Yeah, sure.” He pulled the blanket up to his nose, leaving his eyes uncovered. Was he just going to ignore that Derek lay next to him, unclothed but his underwear.   

“Thanks for having me.”  
“Yeah, whatever.” Derek shrugged.

Stiles eyed Derek’s steady breathing. His torso went up and down, up and down. He wondered what it would feel like to touch such prominent, well-defined abs.

Derek noticed that he was being watched. As peculiar as it sounded, it didn’t bother him much. Maybe, it was even… No, he couldn’t think like that. Especially now in bed with Stiles.

“So you can’t get your nightmare off your mind?” Derek needed distraction. Now!  
“Exactly… I see her all the time, my mom that is. And I always relive that moment of her changing…  into… that monster. She looked like a zombie. I’ve never seen something so appalling as that thing. And to think that it was mom…”  
“It wasn’t your mother.”  
“I know. But… it felt the same, you know?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“The way she—I mean _it—_ looked at me, after I touched its hand. The scream… and how it didn’t recognize me, the words it chose… and all this confusion and unfamiliarity in its eyes.” His eyes stared at the wall, but it was evident to Derek that he was looking at pictures in his mind. They must have been branded deep inside his memory.

“It was the same with my mom. You know, she had a brain tumor. It devoured little by little more of her personality and especially her memory.”

Derek did in fact know about the brain tumor part. His family had been good friends with the Stilinskis and his mother had told him about Mrs. Stilinski’s illness. Though, he hadn’t truly understood the meaning of it at that time.

“In the beginning, it was manageable. She was just a bit clumsy and forgot where she put her glasses and such.” Stiles grinned, the blanket still holding over half of his face.  
“At some point though, it got worse. We couldn’t leave her alone in our house anymore. She forgot too much. Even small things such as turning the oven off or the bathtub… it was too dangerous. At one point, she didn’t even recognize her home anymore, she felt like a complete stranger. So my dad took a time out in his job and stayed at home to take care of her, help her out and all. I couldn’t because, well, school, you know.”

Stiles hid his face completely under the blanket now.

“One day…” his voice choked, “she had to go to the hospital because her condition got worse day by day. All the medication and radiation therapy didn’t do shit…”

Seeing Stiles under the blanket trying to hide his tears touched Derek. He felt sorry for him. It was one thing to lose one’s parents, but seeing them suffer day by day... He couldn’t imagine the pain, the agony. This little kid was condemned to watch his mother deteriorate into a lifeless, empty vessel of flesh.

Stiles dried his eyes with the blanket, still hiding his face. He cleared his throat and continued.

“I visited her every day and brought her little presents, like flowers for instance or my favorite books. She loved to read, you know. From time to time she was really happy to see them and well, other times, not so much. There were times, she could hardly recognize me.”

Stiles rubbed his eyes dry.

“When I reached for her hand” his voice was high and tight, the words came out in hesitation, “sh-she slapped them away and cried for help: ‘Doctor, doctor, what is he doing here?’” Stiles imitated his mother’s voice quietly, “‘get him out!’—when this happened, I left for good. I was too terrified to face her again…” Stiles rose back to the surface, inhaling the fresh air. His face was red and sticky from the simmering heat under the blanket. The air felt cooling on his skin. The room in general was rather chilly, having only Derek’s body as sole source of heat. Stiles’ gnawed on his bottom lip.

“I didn’t visit her for a few days. I was afraid she wouldn’t recognize me again. It was like losing my mom over and over again. So I thought, I should get used to her absence.” Stiles hit his head with the palm of his hand. It sounded like the stroke of a whip. As he struck out for another slap, Derek caught Stiles’ arm, preventing his self-punishment.

Stiles’ eyes ripped wide open at Derek, who held his arm tightly, with just enough strength to avoid hurting him. Derek shook his head slowly and let go of the arm.  
“I was so stupid, Derek! I should have enjoyed every second with her but— no” he spat the words out, “I fucking wasted it! Because I was—no—I am a coward!” Stiles screams, his voice breaking over the word coward. Agony reflected his eyes. He lowered his voice as he uttered the next few words: “When the hospital called, I was alone at home. Dad was working. They called and told me that she lost consciousness and they weren’t sure how much time she had left… That was the moment Pussy-Stiles took his last spark of courage to see her… She was still unconscious when I arrived. And this time, I was the one who had trouble to recognize her—I mean, I had already gotten used to her bald head—but her face, her skin… she looked like death itself. I will never forget that image.” Stiles shook all thoughts of that day from his head. But it was useless… He would never forget.

“She died that night while being unconscious. Her heart just stopped beating. I was with her when it happened. I held her hand the whole time. Dad… he didn’t make it in time…”

He tried to be strong, but eventually broke out in tears again. This time, he wasn’t hiding it. Derek placed his hand on Stiles’ shoulder, showing him that he wasn’t alone. Stiles occasionally darted a peek at Derek. He welcomed the touch.

“If I’d just had enough strength and courage to stay with her when she was alive… Derek, I killed her. I wasn’t there for her when she needed me most! I ripped all hope from her. I tore her heart apart and I didn’t even give a shit! It’s the same as if I had thrust a knife into—“

Derek grabbed Stiles’ face with his hand, forcing Stiles to look at him.

“You listen to me now; you did NOT—and I repeat, so listen closely—you did NOT kill her!” His voice sounded rough.

Stiles’ cheeks were pressed together, forming his mouth into a pout.

“Ouch, Dourog.”

“Sorry…” He released his grip.

Stiles rubbed his cheeks, checking if they were deformed now.

“Stiles you had no power over what happened. This was out of human capability. Yes, it was petulant and stupid of you, but it didn’t kill her. She would have died anyway, with you next to her or not.”

Stiles blinked at Derek.

Shit, he realized how harsh that sounded and tried to correct his words, choosing a more tactful approach.

“I mean… You were just a kid, Stiles. Not even a grown man could have dealt easily with a mother who lost her memory—let alone a young boy whose mom didn’t recognize him anymore. It was too much! You can’t blame yourself for not being strong enough; some people could never in their life gather enough strength to face such pain. Trust me.”

He couldn’t even tell the truth and prevent the murder of his sister… Derek drifted off.

“I know… But I feel so guilty. Sometimes, it feels like my heart is going to burst into pieces.”  
“I know…”

Derek needed to help this hapless victim of life’s cruelty. At least Stiles should be exonerated from his own blame.

“Despite everything, I am absolutely and without a single doubt sure that she loved you, Stiles. The one who didn’t recognize you, this pale creature wasn’t your mom, it was the disease. Deep inside of her, she knew you and she would never forget about you. No mother ever does.”

It occurred to Stiles that Derek had changed a lot since they had arrived at Silent Hill. Maybe this town did have magic powers.

“Thank you, Derek.” He wiped off his tears and rewarded Derek with a smile.

“Next time you dream of her, maybe you shouldn’t run away from her. Face that monster and you will find your mother beyond it. ”

“You’re right…”  
Derek padded Stiles’ shoulder.  
For the next ten minutes, they just lay silently next to each other, facing the ceiling. It was a moment of peace and understanding.

Derek was the first to break the silence: “I guess you’re not returning to your bed, huh?”  
“Do you mind?” Stiles tested.  
“No.”

They closed their eyes. Memories of better times lulled them to sleep.

 

<x><x><x><x>

 

Stiles opened his eyes.  
Mom?  
He freed himself carefully from the bed, watching out that Derek wouldn’t wake up.  
He stumbled out of the room.  
Mom?  
A movement in the back of the hallway caught his attention.

“Is that you, mom?” Stiles whispered.

He went after it.  
He needed to see her again; he knew he wasn’t just dreaming it. He was convinced that it was real.

There it was! The dark silhouette of a person. It ran away.  
Stiles followed it swiftly. He almost tripped the stairwell down, as he tried to catch up with the shadow. Then it was gone. It literally vanished into thin air. Stiles could barely see a thing. He was in the lobby, that much he was sure of. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground in front of the entrance. Hastily, he dashed toward it, immediately taking it off the ground. He walked closer to the window in order to use the moon as light source. As soon as he was able to read the words, he was adamant that this was the place where he should go next to.

It said: _Brookhaven Hospital_.


	3. Be as it may, the end doth remain:

A thick blanket of the mysterious gray fog covered the ominous building. Barely able to see a thing, Stiles took his smartphone out and used it as a flashlight. He illuminated the building spot by spot, trying to uncover its dangerous secret.

“Brookhaven Hopsital,” Stiles read out loud. Steering his light towards his surroundings, he realized that he was standing in between two grey stone walls, separating him from single green leafed trees on each side.

There was no foliage anywhere on the ground. Interestingly, Stiles thought, considering that this place was deserted. Next, he grabbed the town’s map from his trouser pocket to ensure that he was truly and undoubtedly at the right place. Yes, the street sign said _Canoll Street_ , there was no denying; this had to be it.

“Shit…” Stiles muttered under his breath. “Well, there you go Stiles, going straight into the open hands of death.” He sighed. “If anyone calls me smart again, I’ll slap their face… if I get to get outta there alive.” It was as though invisible hands were pulling him closer to the doors. Reluctantly, he pressed his right hand against the door. After one deep breath and a moment of questioning life choices, he pushes the heavy door and as if he just leaped through time, he was abruptly inside and the door behind him closed.

He stood in a narrow hallway, still using his phone as light source. In front of him was the reception and the obligatory wooden bench, covered in scratches and its fading natural color. It was as pale as the bodies that used to sit on it. One could tell that the walls used to be white, now all that was left was a grayish, soggy color of damp mold. The chessboard-patterned floor reminded him of how he used to jump from white tile to another, avoiding the black tiles, which he used to imagine being holes into the deep, deep abyss. Used my ass, he thought, as he caught himself avoiding the black tiles.

As he made his first steps, Stiles heard a rumbling sound coming out of the glass-less reception window. Fuck this is spooky!

Reluctantly, he approached it. A wrinkly, greenish curtain covered the window.

“Are you here to see the kids?”

Stiles heart jumped! Some woman’s voice came right from the reception window. The voice sounded gender-assumption aside, dark, and somewhat wailing – the kind of voice of someone who was in mourning and that for a very, very long time... “I – erm, I am – No, I am no—“

“Oh these poor souls, they have been waiting for visitors for such a long, long time… Please go and see them. I can’t leave…” The voice interrupted Stiles.

“I’m sorry, I’m not here to see any kids, I’m looking for someone.” He had no idea who or what exactly he was looking for – well he sort of had a hunch. “Besides, what do you mean you can’t leave?”

“I have to stay here, in case visitors come, the kids have been alone for such a long, long time… please… see them”

Okay, he had to admit, rejecting this request would literally make him the worst human being in history. Nervously, he wiped drops of sweat from his neck. “Alright, alright. I’m going! I still don’t get why you can’t just get a replacement or let alone other people whose job it is to take care of kids,” but honestly nothing really surprised him anymore, he concluded in his head.

“Where do I have to go?”

A map had slowly been pushed from under the curtain, as if with sheer mind force. Yeah, as I said. Nothing surprises me anymore. He swiftly took the moldy map, attempting to encrypt its barely legible words.

“Damn, you guys really need a bigger budged, first barely any staff, and second no light, and last everything covered in mold – which by the way is terrible for your health, are you aware of that? Of course you are, this is a frikkin’ hospital, why can’t you—“ Stiles held his breath as he realized that he was talking to no one. Great and now she thinks she can just go for a coffee break or what?! Stiles rubbed the corner of his eyes.

This was not why he came here, but at least he made some progress, he received a map and irrefutable confirmation that this town was one fucked up place and no sensible person would just stay here and let alone explore its dark corners. At least Sarah was alright – poor her for having to live in such a creepy town.

Stiles studied the map for a moment and quickly realized that room M3 on the map had been marked with a red circle. It was on the second floor of the hospital, which dreadfully meant he would have to distance himself even further from the exit, making a quick escape more difficult.

Be strong, Stiles, these are kids that we’re talking about, it should be fine. He was aware that he hadn’t done a reality check in a while – being friends with werewolves and fighting a Kanima and hunters made him already very tolerable to the unknown and mysterious – but this godforsaken town was bringing his tolerance to another level, not that he thought that would be even possible.

“Right, an apparent empty hospital with a ghost receptionist ordering me to go see some lonely kids… This is not weird at all…” he murmured under his breath as his feet took one small step after another towards the stairs to the second floor. Stiles did not forget the original reason for his visit to Brookhaven Hospital: the shadow that… looked like… He was hoping for another encounter with... well, that thing. Strangely, he could feel that the encounter with the receptionist was no mere coincidence; he decided to accept it blindly as a potential led towards his goal. Shaking any doubts out of his head, he strode towards the stairs with determination.

 

<x><x><x><x>

 

“He is the most annoying boy I have ever met. No matter where I fucking go, he appears and his stupid face with his stupid grin haunts my daily life.” Derek spat out as he walked in circles, pacing like a caged lion. “I can’t believe I just said yes to his stupid request.” His muscles tense. “I have better things to do, better places to be – better people to—”

“Tooooo what?” A young woman with long black hair entered the room. Derek relaxed his muscles again. “Are you being the too proud for your own good again?” She chirped. “Laura, I told you not to just fucking come into my room!”

“Oh come on little brother, as if that would stop me.” Softly, she grazed the back of her hand on Derek’s boyish face.

“You should really start to relax a bit and just accept his friendship. I know for a fact that you like him, any half-assed werewolf could sense that.”

“I don’t like him! He is extremely awkward, dramatic, annoying, emotionally unstable and just all in all a big pain in the ass!”

Laura perked an eyebrow with a judging look at Derek “Right… says the guy who can’t stop barking, waking the entire house.” Derek frowned in rejection. “You know, you can keep pretending to be the tough guy who doesn’t need nobody – or you could just go ahead and accept the friendship of someone who truly cares about you.” Laura exclaimed as she softly punched Derek’s shoulder. “You know how people are towards us, it’s not easy for us to make friends, we are, after all, different. People talk. There are enough rumors because of the wall we put between us and humans.” She sighed “Maybe… Stiles is exactly who you need. Look how he keeps coming back, even though you keep showing the cold shoulder.” He knew that. Goddamnit he had always known it. But he hated admitting it.

“Cheer up!” she commanded as she patted his shoulder. 

Derek snapped out of his pensive mood and moved Laura’s hand off his shoulder. “Well I said yes, didn’t I?”

“Good boy!” With a satisfied grin on her face, she left the room.

Derek decided that it would be best to get some fresh air; nature had always been his best companion. It didn’t judge him, it didn’t want anything from him, it just was always there, co-existing, minding its own fucking business.

“DEREK!” Fuck.

As he just closed the front door behind him, the voice of a boy too joyful for his own good pierced his ears.

“What?” He barked.

“Hey, I--- eh I wanted to say thank you for, you know, saying yes.” His eyes darted left and right, avoiding direct eye contact with Derek.

“That’s all? You came all the way here to just tell me that?”

“Erm. Yes. I mean – no! I just happened to be close by and I thought uuuh why the hell not. But, there is another thing you need to know! Something really important!”

 

<x><x><x><x>

 

 There he was. The second floor. Luckily, room M3 was right in front of him. The faint sound of laughing children sent a signal of reassurance through his body. Although, he had to admit, laughing children have always had something creepy about them. The door was just as moldy and dirty grey as the rest of the hospital.

“Sanitary is something else,” Stiles commented. With a little hesitation, he opened the door.

Other than the rest of the hospital, this room was well lit. Its walls were painted in playful colors of a beautiful spring day. Carefully drawn trees with pink leafs and a variety of forest animals completed the overall heart-warming atmosphere. Within the room, a group of kids played with toys.

However, one toy in particular caught his eye. A pink, cartoony rabbit wearing overalls disturbed the harmony. It had a big blank eyes and a terrifyingly happy smile – the kind of smile that you usually see on a serial killer’s face – and Stiles couldn’t shake the feeling that it was watching him. Very closely.

Distracted by the rabbit, Stiles startled, as he felt a soft, yet cold hand touch his arm. A small girl with messy and short dark hair smiled at his face, her eyes sparkling curiosity. “Who are you?”

“Oh, hey little girl! My name is Stiles, and who are you?”

“It’s a secret!”

“A secret? Oh, okay, what do I have to do, to find out?” Stiles smiled.

“Be my friend.”

“Alright, I’m your friend!” Stiles laughed and gave her a pat on the head. As adorable as she was, her request broke his heart.

In that moment, three more children joined them, their faces radiating with just as much thirst for knowledge. One of the boys made faces towards Stiles. “Hey, that’s rude!” The boy laughed and walked in front of Stiles.

“Are you here to see us?”

“Well, yes, in fact, I am! I came all the way here to visit you guys.”

And then in a matter of a second, every kid dropped whatever they were doing, and toddled towards him. A big group of young children stood in front of him, their eyes fixated on Stiles – and the bunny in the background watching it all.

They didn’t say a word, the room was silent. Their eyes still scrutinizing every of Stile’s movements.

Stiles started to feel very uneasy, this was certainly not ordinary young kids behavior. But no, he wasn’t given a chance to freak out, the young girl with the pixie hair poke his arm again, demanding his attention.

“Do you know where mommy is?”

“I’m so sorry, I do not… When was the last time that you saw her? Isn’t she somewhere in this hospital?”

“Mommy left a long time ago.”

“She’s probably coming back soon! No mom would leave her kid alone and not come back” His heart stung again.

“Really?” A boy among the group of kids asked.

“Of course!”

“Are you lying to us?” Another kid asked in a doubting voice.

“No!” Yes.

“It’s okay,” the girl spoke again, “we have God.”

Oh crap, she is a poor Jesus camp victim. Stiles always thought that there was nothing spookier than indoctrinated Christian children.

“Erm… that’s good!” I guess?

“I miss mommy.” another kid said. “Mommy!” A young girl in the back cried out. “Mommy!” “Mom…” Suddenly the entire group of children started crying for their mother.

Stiles held his ears for a moment until he got used to the noise of crying children. He felt for them. He felt their fear. He knew it all too well.

The room darkened. The color of the walls slowly deteriorated into a brownish dark color.

It hurt so bad. Seeing all these kids cry, missing their mother. He could feel a part of him wanting to join them badly. He wanted to cry and call out for mom. He just wanted nothing more than cry.

But no, Stiles decided to be strong. He needed to be strong. No time to cry. He was past that.

The young girl with messy hair moved slowly through the group. Her eyes seemed as though she was judging the other children. “God will never leave us.”

Stiles soon realized where she was aiming for. The rabbit. His presence among these crying children was even more horrifying.

“God needs our attention.”

The sound of a siren filled every corner of the room and inside Stiles. It was happening again, he remembered. Inside his mind were concern and relieve clashing against another. Concern for his safety – his natural survival instincts begging him to run, and a feeling of relieve that it was in fact real. That there was a chance of meeting her again.

The group stopped crying. Stiles became irrelevant. As if possessed by something, they surrounded the rabbit. The room darkened even more. The walls lost all their color. Mold infested the walls like a disease. The floor trembled. Its texture resembled that of skin. No, it wasn’t trembling, it was pulsating. The floor was pulsating. Everything turned partially organic. Blood veins spread around the now skin-like walls. A sickening smell of raw and bloody flesh filled the room. Distracted by all the events, Stiles did not notice that the kids had blood dripping down from their mouth. One kid after another started coughing blood. Every drop of blood landed on the rabbit. Like a sponge, it soaked in every drop. Its smile seemed even bigger than before. The alarm of the siren subsided.

Stiles started backing up, slowly but steadily he aimed for the exit of the room. The kids were still busy filling the rabbit with blood. The Jesus camp girl stood there, praying. Stiles grabbed the door handle. The girl noticed the sound of the door opening. She turned around and dashes towards Stiles.

“You too. You cannot leave. You are my friend. God needs you”

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but I think the bun— I mean, _God_ had enough for today” He laughed nervously. Displeased by his response, the girl screamed her lungs out. The sound pierced his ears, his entire body tensed up and dizziness left him immobile for a moment. As he recovered, he could see that all the kids were now aiming for him, with every step they took, their skin started to turn into a dark grey color. Their faces were nothing but expressions of agony and despair.

Enough of this bullshit, Stiles thought and pushed the door. It was now quite heavy and its texture fleshy and sticky. He had to use his body weight to add up enough force to open it. As he pushed, these monsters clawed for Stiles legs, who, with a moment of reluctance, kicked them off him. More and more arms reached out for Stiles, but before they got him, the door was open and Stiles, losing his balance, stumbled out of the room and fell to the ground. The kids behind him shrieked and cried out for ‘mommy’, unable to make a step outside of the door. Soaked in sweat, Stiles breathed heavily as he observed the kid’s inability to leave the room. And far off in the back, the rabbit sat quietly, blood soaked, and smiling. For a split second, Stiles could have sworn the rabbit moved, but before he could realize it, the door slammed shut and the screams of children faded into nothingness.

“Fucking hell, this was literally the prime example of a nightmare.”

There was no reasonable explanation for whatever happened in that room, and what ominous power controlled it. Maybe the girl was right and it was some God – although calling it the Devil would fit better… Stiles swept the thought off his mind; he was ashamed that he started to sound like Ms. Jesus Camp. One thing was clear. There was something in this town… Whatever it was, its presence could not be put into words – Stiles decided that there was no word in existence that could signify whatever there was. Maybe it was better this way.

Back in the hospital hallway, he noticed that everything had turned as metallic and rusty as the other time when he fell into the ground and landed in this weird water-tank like room. It seemed he had in fact returned to this world.

“Damn, people are right, I am drawn to danger, huh…” He mumbled to himself.

“I wish Derek were here.”

Stiles collected himself off the ground and decided that it would be wise to continue the search, now that he had made it here finally. It was dangerous, yes, but leaving now would turn into endless regret.

Maybe it would have been wise to ask Derek to join. But how was he supposed to convince him. Hey Derek, I’m on my way to a life threatening crazy place – and oh yeah, I have no actual proof that what happened to me wasn’t just a dream of whatever. No… Derek would have come despite its lack of reason. If Stiles asked, he would come. That was always the strange part about Derek. He never asked you for anything, he never took the initiative to spend time with you. If you want something from Derek, you’d have to ask him. And most of the time, he would say no and grunt. Anyone who knows him would confirm this…

Out of nowhere, Stiles remembered a conversation with Scott right after Derek agreed to the trip. He remembered Scott being unfazed by the fact that Derek said yes. Stiles had trouble understanding it, but Scott commented that Derek would always be around him, no matter where they were. Stiles had never noticed it before, harking back, ever since he met Derek, he would always try to be with him. And Derek would tolerate his company. Maybe there was more to this, than he thought. People express feelings differently after all… And maybe that was how Derek would do it… Ugh who knows. It’s not like I could ask him.

Sometimes he wished Derek would just talk more and actually say what he means. But whatever. He still liked Derek. A lot. A lot, lot, lot, lot, lot, lot.

Thinking about Derek recovered some of his confidence and determination. He would find her; he would walk out of here and get back to Derek. And maybe he would try to hug him. Or… maybe not. He was not _that_ suicidal.

During his inner monologue, Stiles checked door after door.

Several were locked. Some were open, but the rooms empty and dark, no sign of life or any significance. He reached another room. The door was unlocked. As he opened it,  the sudden appearance of candle light caught him by surprise. The candle stood on a table, right next to it an open book. Well if that doesn’t seem intentional, Stiles remarked in his mind.

He approached the book and soon realized that it was a diary. The pages were hand written and dated. “Don’t mind if I do…” Feeling a bit intrusive, he opened a random page and started reading.

"May 9

 

Rain.

Stared out the window all day.

Peaceful here - nothing to do.

Still not allowed to go outside.

 

May 10

 

Still raining.

Talked with the doctor a little.

Would they have saved me if

I didn't have a family to feed?

I know I'm pathetic, weak.

Not everyone can be strong.

 

May 11

 

Rain again.

The meds made me feel sick

today.

If I'm only better when I'm

drugged, then who am I anyway?

 

May 12

 

Rain as usual.

I don't want to cause any more

trouble for anyone, but I'm a

bother either way.

Can it really be a such a sin to

run instead of fight?

Some people may say so, but they

don't have to live in my shoes.

It may be selfish, but it's what

I want.

It's too hard like this.

It's just too hard....

 

May 13

 

It's clear outside.

The doctors told me I've been

released - that I've got to go

home.

I --------------"

 

The pages after that were blank. He teared up.

Stiles tried his best to convince himself that this wasn’t her diary. An ice cold drop of water fell on his forehead. First one drop, then two, then three. Some drops fell on the page, the letters melted. And then the entire room started raining.

The candle extinguished. It was dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not finished yet. I think? I am not entirely sure if I should include the rest of my story into this or next chapter - because there is the danger of having a pretty short final chapter. For now, I thought it would be nice to upload something! Sorry for keeping you wait so long (although I doubt people remember this story today hahaha) I guess I'm finishing it for myself. So in case you are someone who was waiting for this, thank you for your patience! If you are a new reader, then I hope you won't have to wait too long for the finale haha!  
> Enjoy. Thanks!

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to my two beta-reader Cecile (http://archiveofourown.org/users/Cecile/) and alphasourwolf, you both did a great job!!!
> 
> Picture originally by Konami (c) (Silent Hill 2).  
> Edit by me.
> 
> If you need maps for orientation, look at these two: 
> 
> Town:  
> http://www.translatedmemories.com/bookpgs/Pg04-05SHAreaMap.jpg  
> please note that they both come from the left (Sandford Street) 
> 
> Hotel:  
> http://www.vgmaps.com/Atlas/PS2/SilentHill2-LakeviewHotel.png
> 
> Hospital:  
> http://www.silenthillmedia.net/sh2-guide.htm#h


End file.
